Glenside man charged with attempted murder for running over a 24-year-old he believed stole a bike
Phillip Prince drove his Jeep into Colin Cassidy on Monday evening in Glenside, according to police.
A Glenside man intentionally drove his Jeep into a cyclist, Montgomery County prosecutors said Monday, throwing the victim 90 feet and leaving him in critical condition with a serious head injury.
Phillip Prince, 40, has been charged with attempted murder and related crimes in the crash, which took place Sunday evening on Meyer Avenue.
It was not clear Monday if Prince had hired an attorney.
Investigators said Prince crashed into Colin Cassidy, 24, as Cassidy and a group of teens were riding bikes through Glenside. Multiple witnesses said Prince intentionally sped up “full throttle,”drove onto a sidewalk and crashed into Cassidy just before 8:30 p.m., according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
Prince told one of those witnesses that he was chasing Cassidy because he believed Cassidy had stolen the BMX bike Cassidy was seen riding through Glenside, the affidavit said.
One of the teens who was with Cassidy on Sunday told police Cassidy had been riding a scooter before briefly disappearing and returning with the bicycle, according to the affidavit.
Not long after, Prince drove up to the group in a Jeep Cherokee, attempted to grab Cassidy, and began chasing them.
After the crash, as Prince went over to the unresponsive Cassidy, the teen turned off the Jeep and took the keys out of the vehicle so Prince would not drive away, the affidavit said.
Prince and teen got into a brief fight, during which Prince punched the teen in the mouth, police said.
Prince was still at the scene when Abington Township Police arrived and took him into custody.
Cassidy was taken to Jefferson Abington Hospital, where he underwent surgery for severe head trauma. He remained there Monday in critical condition, according to investigators.
